The June Bloom
Photo of Snapping Turtle taken by Julia Edith Rigby.
INTENTIONS | 6.3.2021
Dear Herders,
Thank you to Dorian Katz, Arlen Ståhlberg, Ida K., Katia Aoun Hage, Julia Rigby, Georgina Marie, Daniel Eugene, Aster K. Foley, Iris Crawford, and Tara K. Shepersky, for their work and upcoming events featured in this issue of The Herd. I also offer a poem.
The June Bloom is here! Behind-the-scenes interviews, Pride art shows, gorgeous photographs, new book releases, conversations on art & politics, musical releases, tarot-inspired necklaces, underwater sound recordings, poems—this summery collection may be the most widespread array of art ever featured in one issue of The Herd! And if you’re sad that you missed the submission deadline, be sure to catch our dates in early October for submission to the Fall Harvest.
These unique fall/spring issues are open to everyone to submit, and a special chance to pause and look at the work of this growing community. If you see an artist’s work that moves you, feel free to reach out and share their work on social media, and if you can, support the art they bring into this world!
Here’s what some Herders are building with their creative pursuits, daydreams, shoot-for-the-moon reaches, and daily practices.
Happy Pride Month, and may you all have a wonderful, safe, and inspired summer.
Enjoy this issue and the presence of fabulous humans doing great things.
-Allie
CREATIVITY PARTY | 6.3.21
11 ARTISTS KEEPIN’ IT FRESH THIS SUMMER
Feel free to take your time with this delightful array of creative and dedicated folk.
In order of appearance, the fine folks featured below are Dorian Katz, Arlen Ståhlberg, Ida K., Katia Aoun Hage, Georgina Marie, Julia Rigby, Daniel Eugene, Aster K. Foley, Iris Crawford, Tara K. Shepersky, and Allie Rigby.
Dorian Katz Expands Conversation on Art Censorship, Featured in Foglifter
Dorian Katz has an exquisite interview in Foglifter Journal called Culture Control and the Fight for San Francisco: Tina Horn Interviews Dorian Katz. The interview begins with an event involving the West SOMA Community Benefits Board (WSCBD) who censored public art that they themselves had commissioned for the Big Belly Trashcan Project.
For this project Dorian mentions how “It was exciting to find a way of depicting leather culture with art that is G-rated enough for an all ages public.” After many hours of work to balance that line of depicting leather culture and submitting the work, Dorian never saw the artwork installed.
Despite this frustrating experience and greater discussion on art censorship, Dorian adds in the interview that,
“We can continue making our art and saying their bigotry is what’s shameful, not our sexuality.”—Dorian Katz, from interview in Foglifter.
“I Feel Pretty”from Two Broads Ciderworks based in San Luis Obispo, featuring label artwork by Dorian Katz.
Dorian Katz also has art and zines for sale, and is on Instagram @Poppers_the_Pony too. Her artwork is also featured on the “I Feel Pretty”cider from Two Broads Ciderworks, based in San Luis Obispo, which you can order here.
Starting June 18th and through June 26th from 12:00 PM - 5:00 PM, Katz’ work also will be in the art show, We Are Everywhere: A Pride Art Show, Clay ClubHouse.
The art show has a closing party on June 26th, and “the reception coincides with Pride, the national celebration of the resistance, resilience and courage of the queers who made this exhibition possible today.” You can learn more here.
AND there’s also an online show at the Ivy League Gallery featuring so many incredible artists, including the fabulous Dorian Katz. Check it out!
Arlen Ståhlberg’s Spring Pop-up Is a Ceramic Wonderland
Arlen Ståhlberg began working with CLAY in the early years of 2000. She sees her “[…] work being collectible, functional pottery and hopefully one day when its found at the back of your cabinet and you take it out, it will remind you of where you were NOW and friends will say, ‘hmmm where did that vessel come from…’” May your imagination unfold from there.
You can explore more of Arlen’s CLAY at arlenstahlberg.com.
Server with rosewood spoon.
These two pots are sold!
Ida K. Offers Photographs of a World that Elephants Know
Ida K. wears many hats: photographer, retired university professor, art historian, gardener with a love of native plants. Her recent work explores the self-awareness that animals allude to, caught with her trusty Nikon at just the right moment. Her photographs are intimate reminders that we are one of many species that can, perhaps, coexist together on this planet.
“My creativity is only a reflection of nature’s; it lies in capturing what we as humans perceive as nature's beauty, humor, tenderness, and self awareness, perhaps its soul and even our being part of it. We cannot know how Nature perceives its processes. What is an elephant’s world? Only an elephant can know, but we can imagine what it might be and perhaps expand our own universe.” —Ida K.
Katia Aoun Hage Starts New Publishing Press: 7 New Titles & Counting
Learn more about this anthology, or purchase directly at Elyssar Press.
Katia Aoun Hage is of the visionaries behind the Elyssar Press, nestled in Redlands, California. This new small press is committed to “telling tales that remind people of the joy of being alive. That’s why the press publishes both local and international works, with a focus on sharing the human experience,” Katia shares in an earlier interview.
Today, Elyssar Press brings that bold vision to the world of literature, offering a home for works by international artists and writers who believe in the power of creation.
Their latest book is The Beirut Call: Harnessing Creativity for Change, which features over 20 voices and explores the role of art as a political tool, challenging the very notion of resilience and resistance.
You can also explore a new behind-the-scenes interview featuring three instrumental makers, each largely responsible for making this anthology happen.
Katia Aoun Hage, founder of Elyssar Press, celebrates The Beirut Call at the highly anticipated book launch.
Shout-out to the Shuffle Collective for partnering with Elyssar Press for The Beirut Call Book Launch as well. If you missed it, check out the video above!
Georgina Marie Awarded Poet Laureate Fellowship from POETS.org!
Congratulations to Georgina Marie for being one of twenty-three poets to receive this prestigious award that includes funding for a unique project. You can learn more about the other poets here.
According to the announcement from Poets.org, Georgina “[…] plans to install poetry boxes, poetry display cases, tiny poetry libraries, and poetry murals in all eighteen communities in Lake County. She also plans to expand the project, with permission and the input of local Native officials and peoples, to the six Native American reservations in the county.”
In addition to this big news, Georgina Marie also invites you to join her at the upcoming Voices for Justice: Tribal Justice event on June 10th, from 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM PST. Attendance is free, but you do need to register. The event is fundraiser for Root & Rebound’s work with Native Communities.
Have a manuscript you’re working on? Georgina is also leading a Manuscript Circle on June 13th from 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM PST. This event is brought to you by Shuffle. Apply to be a Shuffle Collective member to attend!
Sea anemone with electric purple tips, courtesy of Julia’s colorful Instagram.
Julia Edith Rigby Wants You to Hear the Hermit Crabs
There is often something whimsical and playful, yet simultaneously serious, about Julia Rigby’s art. Her latest explorations take us to the tide pools of Orange County, where Julia awaits, equipped with a hydrophone and a waterproof cellphone case that she drops into the water.
In a world where smaller creatures and even entire ecosystems like Pacific Coast tidal zones are overlooked, Julia’s recordings offer an auditory experience that blend original violin scores with underwater soundscapes.
You can listen to these unique pieces here on BandLab. You may need to make a profile first. Check out Sea Anemone with Strings, as a delightful start.
Daniel Eugene Still Doesn’t WT HI*
Daniel Eugene dropped a new album in 2020 called Levels & Layers with so many catchy songs. From his Herder interview earlier that year, Daniel shared a bit of his creative process too.
“I create space, I have to create space. I have to create that space, for my art. There’s always something else to do. I’m really intentional.”
—Daniel Eugene
Stay tuned for more updates by following Daniel @eugene_rudd on Instagram, and message Daniel for t-shirts, buttons, and pins.
*from Daniel Eugene’s song ID WT HI.
Aster K. Foley’s Wearable Art: Tarot-Inspired Pendants, Stud Earrings, & More!
Aster K. Foley has something for everyone with their prints, zines, & wearable art collections. Check out their Instagram @Easternfolly and make sure you don’t miss a Pride Pop-Up this June—the next one will be June 26th at Berryessa Brewing Company.
If you can’t make the Pop-Up, fret not: Aster is available for commissions AND also has art for sale on their main website. Aster’s work will also be featured in an upcoming show called Pandora’s Box/The Tomb by Light Grey Art Lab. Follow @LightGreyArtLab or visit Light Grey Art Lab to learn more.
Featured below are fellow Herders Allie & Julia Rigby with their pendants—on the left is a personalized Tarot-inspired Pendant that brings me so much joy on days when I need a little pick-me-up. On the right, Julia is wearing a She-Her Pendant. In the middle are stamped and unstamped stud earrings, including ones that say “bye bye” and “go away.”
Iris Crawford: Journalist and Weather Poet @Currently
Iris M. Crawford is the official SF Weather Poet at @Currently which launched this month. In the words of Iris Crawford according to a tweet from June 7th, “I am by no means a meteorologist but simply seek to reimagine what a weather report could be.” Stay tuned for more updates!
You can learn more and subscribe for free, or for a paid membership, at CurrentlyHQ.
Tara K. Shepersky is Here with Lucy Bellwood to Tell the Turning
Tell the Turning is book of poems by Tara K. Shepersky with illustrations by Lucy Bellwood
An upcoming book of poems called Tell the Turning by Tara K. Shepersky features illustrations by Lucy Bellwood. Watch out. It might be magical. According to her website, these are
“Poems to companion your low tides. Poems about watching the light change through the hours and seasons, and the age, and your own heart.”—Tara K. Shepersky
It will be printed on Munken paper by Bored Wolves, released this August, 2021.
Allie Rigby Alludes to Story Egg—Local Residents Baffled
Lastly, a little update from me. Thank you to Dorian Katz, Arlen Ståhlberg, Ida K., Katia Aoun Hage, Julia Rigby, Georgina Marie, Daniel Eugene, Aster K. Foley, Iris Crawford, and Tara K. Shepersky for putting your work out there, and reminding me to be bold with your poetic hearts.
Here is a little poem called “Haggard.” Much of my poetry alludes to mental health allegories and the desire to be held in natural spaces, as well as the desire to have any “signs of knowing,” or at least little nods from storytellers well before and well after my time.
Haggard
Just like that
she is in the forest
tripping on resolve:
find the berries
eat the berries
lose the way and forget
the fable. It’s okay
to misplace the roots.
Little mice
have their nibbling
ways and the hard
knot in her stomach
is a story egg,
an old one.
She blinks wide-eyed,
waits for the hatch.
Thank you so much to ALL ARTISTS for their time to share their hearts and updates, as well as their greater artistic visions of a more kind, gentle, and just world.
Lastly, here is our writing prompt & current happenings this month!
JUNE WRITING PROMPT | 6.3.2021
Does your inner critic ever follow your pen across the page as you overthink every word or plot twist? Those moments are hard. I enjoyed this Tweet the other day, from @SketchesbyBoze. Fair warning: it contains a spoiler from the new Cruella movie.
Tweet below:
Prompt: With permission to stop worrying (even if only for the duration of the prompt) if you’re a “good” writer, take 15 minutes to write a sequel or prequel to a movie. It can be a basic outline. If there already is a prequel, feel free to re-create your own, regardless. If you are a visual artist or musician, adjust the prompt so you create a painting or a song that references a movie, but with a prequel/sequel twist.
Are you giving a villain a feminist makeover? Are you letting a minor character actually be the much-needed and more-interesting star of this version? Possibilities abound.
HAPPENINGS | 6.3.21
There’s a book launch for a poetry book around the corner this June with Elyssar Press. Stay tuned or follow on Instagram for more updates, author events, and released books.
Fellow Herder Tara K. Shepersky is releasing a book this August featuring illustrations by Lucy Bellwood! Learn more about Tell the Turning and pre-order your copy today.
Join Georgina Marie at the upcoming Voices for Justice: Tribal Justice event on June 10th, 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM PST. Attendance is free, but you do need to register. The event is fundraiser for Root & Rebound’s work with Native Communities.
Have a manuscript you’re working on? Georgina Marie is offering the third Manuscript Circle on June 13th from 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM PST. This event is brought to you by Shuffle. Apply to be a Shuffle Collective member to attend!
Starting June 18th and through June 26th from 12:00 PM - 5:00 PM, Dorian Katz’ work will be in the art show, We Are Everywhere: A Pride Art Show, Clay ClubHouse. The closing reception will be on June 26th. You can learn more here.
Join poet Alice Pero and artist Vera Campion with Elyssar Press on June 26th at 2:00 PST for a Launch Party for the Beyond Birds and Answers Book Launch. Attendees are automatically entered into a raffle of this new and colorful book! You can also learn more here.
Shuffle creators Tess Bliven and Anuj Nijhawan are inviting all Herders to join the supportive and amazing Shuffle community. Click here to view your private invite or 25% discount.
Lizette Warner’s upcoming anthology, Trauma, Tresses and Truth: Untangling Our Hair Through Personal Narrative is in the works! Stay tuned for more information. The virtual conference will be August 7th and August 8th, register or learn more via NaturalHairConference@Gmail.com.
Poetry Events Near You!
That’s it for Issue XXI of The Herd. Feel free to comment below, or share The Herd with anyone who might enjoy it.
The Herd is a bimonthly literary newsletter that celebrates artistic expression and seeks to elevate artists who build community and foster connections.